Einstein and the Quantum (48 page)

148
For me the theory of quanta
: Einstein to Laub, 16 March 1910,
CPAE
, vol. 5, doc. 199, pp. 148–149.

148
It seems incontrovertible
: Einstein to Sommerfeld, July 1910,
CPAE,
vol. 5, doc. 211, p. 157.

148
The crucial point in the whole question
: Ibid.

CHAPTER 18. LAMENTING THE RUINS

Page

149
As for knowing, nobody knows anything
: Einstein to Zangger, 15 November 1911,
CPAE
, vol. 5, doc. 305, p. 221.

149
I decided to take as my starting point
: Marage and Wallenborn, eds.,
Solvay Councils
, 10–11.

150
the report he was good enough to send
: Ibid., 95.

151
chasing after modernity
: Folsing,
Albert Einstein
, 273.

151
in boldness [surpassing] anything
: Folsing,
Albert Einstein
, 271.

151
great theoretical papers in the area of thermodynamics
(quoted in footnote): Emil Fischer to Einstein, October–November 1910,
CPAE
, vol. 5, doc. 230, p. 165.

152
the air is full of soot
: Einstein to Hans Tanner, 24 April 1911,
CPAE
, vol. 5, doc. 265, p. 186.

152
semi-barbaric
: Einstein to Zangger, 20 September 1911,
CPAE
, vol. 5, doc. 286, p. 207.

152
a good thing for the Polytechnic
: Einstein to Zangger, date unknown (after 5 June 1912), Folsing,
Albert Einstein,
79.

153
as soon as one makes even the slightest
: Lorentz to Einstein, 6 May 1909,
CPAE
, vol. 5, doc. 153, p. 113.

153
it has not been possible to formulate
: Einstein, “On the Development of Our Views,” 394.

153
I have not yet arrived at solution
: Einstein to Laub, 31 December 1909,
CPAE
, vol. 5, doc. 196, p. 146.

153
maybe the electron is not
: Einstein to Sommerfeld, 19 January 1910,
CPAE
, vol. 5, doc. 197, pp. 146–147.

154
[a] crudely materialistic conception
: Einstein to Sommerfeld, July 1910,
CPAE
, vol. 5, doc. 211, p. 157.

154
I have not made any progress
: Einstein to Laub, 27 August 1910,
CPAE
, vol. 5, doc. 224, p. 162.

154
At the moment I am very hopeful
: Einstein to Laub, 4 November 1910,
CPAE
, vol. 5, doc. 231, p. 166.

154
The solution of the radiation problem
: Einstein to Laub, 11 November 1910,
CPAE
, vol. 5, doc. 233, p. 167.

154
the riddle of radiation
: Einstein to Laub, 28 December 1910,
CPAE
, vol. 5, doc. 241, p. 141.

155
the so-called quantum theory of today
: Barkan,
Walther Nernst
, 165.

156
I no longer ask whether these quanta
: Einstein to Besso, 13 May 1911,
CPAE
, vol. 5, doc. 267, p. 187.

157
Dear Sir, To all appearances
: Ernest Solvay to Einstein, 9 June 1911,
CPAE
, vol. 5, doc. 269, pp. 190–191.

157
The relativistic treatment of gravitation
: Einstein to Laub, 10 August 1911,
CPAE
, vol. 5, doc. 275, p. 197.

157
If my answer is not … thorough
: Folsing,
Albert Einstein
, 285.

157
We stand here before an unsolved puzzle
: Albert Einstein, “On the Present State of the Problem of Specific Heats” [original article no. 13 in References], reprinted in
CPAE
, vol. 2, doc. 26, pp. 419–420.

158
H. A. Lorentz chaired the conference
: Einstein to Zangger, 7 November 1911,
CPAE
, vol. 5, doc. 303, pp. 219–220.

158
he is a completely honest man
: Ibid., 220.

158
In Brussels, too
: Einstein to Besso, 26 December 1911,
CPAE
, vol. 5, doc. 331, p. 241.

158
the h-disease looks ever more hopeless
: Einstein to Lorentz, 23 November 1911,
CPAE
, vol. 5, doc. 313, p. 227.

158
I took as my starting point
: Marage and Wallenborn, eds.,
Solvay Councils
, 11.

158
I'm working at full speed
: Einstein to Alfred Stern, 17 March 1912,
CPAE
, vol. 5, doc. 374, p. 275.

158
I assure you that I have nothing
: Einstein to Sommerfeld, 29 October 1912,
CPAE
, vol. 5, doc. 421, p. 324.

159
My letter to Einstein proved useless
: Sommerfeld to Hilbert, 1 November 1912, in Hermann,
Genesis of Quantum Theory
, 69.

159
his sense of humor
: Frank,
Einstein
, 76.

159
There are the madmen
: Ibid., 98.

CHAPTER 19. A COSMIC INTERLUDE

Page

160
Scientific endeavors are quite extraordinary
: Einstein to Walter Dallenbach, 31 May 1915,
CPAE,
vol. 8, doc. 87, p. 103.

161
The question arises whether this statement
: Folsing,
Albert Einstein
, 339.

162
one of the highest achievements
: Ibid., 444.

162
probably the greatest scientific discovery
: Isaacson,
Einstein
, 223.

162
the greatest feat of human thinking
: Ibid., 223–224.

162
The theory is of incomparable beauty
: Einstein to Zangger, 26 November 1915,
CPAE
, vol. 8, doc. 152, p. 151.

162
my boldest dreams
: Einstein to Besso, 10 December 1915,
CPAE
, vol. 8, doc. 162, p. 160.

163
enchanted me
: Einstein to Sommerfeld, 8 February 1916,
CPAE
, vol. 8, doc. 189, p. 192.

163
among my finest experiences
: Einstein to Sommerfeld, 3 August 1916,
CPAE
, vol. 8, doc. 246, p. 241.

163
A brilliant idea has dawned
: Einstein to Besso, 11 August 1916,
CPAE
, vol. 8, doc. 250, p. 241.

165
I can't even begin to tell
: Einstein to Elsa, 30 April 1912,
CPAE
, vol. 5, doc. 389, p. 291.

165
the chances of my getting a call
: Ibid.

165
it will not be good
: Einstein to Elsa, 21 May 1912,
CPAE
, vol. 5, doc. 399, p. 300.

166
tear of joy
: Folsing,
Albert Einstein
, 332.

166
The undersigned are aware
(quoted in footnote): 12 June 1913,
CPAE
, vol. 5, doc. 445, p. 38.

167
because it would not make me happy
: Frank,
Einstein
, 109.

167
I couldn't resist the temptation
: Einstein to Lorentz, 14 August 1913, in Folsing,
Einstein
, 331.

167
I accepted this odd sinecure
: Einstein to Paul Ehrenfest, undated, 1913, ibid.

167
howled unceasingly
: Highfield and Carter,
Private Lives
, 164.

167
In personal respects
: Einstein to Zangger, 7 July 1915,
CPAE
, vol. 8, doc. 94, p. 110.

CHAPTER 20. BOHR'S ATOMIC SONATA

Page

168
Europe in its madness
: Einstein to Ehrenfest, 19 August 1914,
CPAE
, vol. 8, doc. 34, p. 41.

168
unworthy of what until now
: Folsing,
Albert Einstein
, 346.

169
the international catastrophe
: Ibid., 347.

170
Bohr is different
: William Cropper,
Great Physicists: The Life and Times of Leading Physicists from Galileo to Hawking
(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004), 245.

170
full of characters from all parts
: Ibid.

171
I got a vivid account
: Marage and Wallenborn, eds.,
Solvay Councils
, 110.

173
I really think you should abbreviate
: Jagdish Mehra and Helmut Rechenberg,
The Historical Development of Quantum Theory
, vol. 1, part 1 (New York: Springer-Verlag, 1982), 190. (Cited hereinafter as Mehra and Rechenberg,
HDQT
.)

173
in an attempt to explain
: N. Bohr, “On the Constitution of Atoms and Molecules” [original article no. 14 in References], reprinted in Haar,
The Old Quantum Theory
, pp. 132–133.

174
The general importance
: Ibid., 137.

174
For me the only difficulty
: Einstein to Lorentz, 23 May 1909,
CPAE
, vol. 5, doc. 163, p. 122.

177
How much the above interpretation
: Bohr, “On the Constitution,” 149.

178
obviously, we get in this way
: Ibid., 150.

179
we came to speak of Bohr's theory
: Stachel,
Einstein from B to Z
, 369–370.

179
I told him [the explanation …]
: Ibid.

180
All my attempts, however, to adapt
: Albert Einstein, “The Advent of Quantum Theory,”
Science
, vol. 113, pp. 82–84 (1951).

CHAPTER 21. RELYING ON CHANCE

Page

181
Fundamental as [the relativity theory] of Einstein
:
CPAE,
vol. 5, doc. 445, pp. 337–338.

181
Why Planck and I engaged him
: Barkan,
Walther Nernst
, 186.

182
One cannot seriously believe
: Einstein to Wilhelm Wien, 17 May 1912,
CPAE
, vol. 5, doc. 395, p. 298.

182
the process of absorption
: Einstein to Michele Besso, 11 September 1911,
CPAE
, vol. 5, doc. 283, p. 204.

183
Einstein always wracked his brain
: Woolf, ed.,
Some Strangeness in Proportion
, 254.

184
My measurements … agree everywhere
: Mehra and Rechenberg,
HDQT
, vol. 1, part 1, p. 220.

184
Now I believe in relativity theory
: Ibid., footnote 366, p. 231.

184
a revelation
: Einstein to Sommerfeld, 8 February 1916,
CPAE
, vol. 8, doc. 189, p. 192.

184
your spectral analyses
: Einstein to Sommerfeld, 3 August 1916,
CPAE
, vol. 8, doc. 246, p. 241.

184
his derivation was of unparalleled boldness
: Albert Einstein, “Emission and Absorption of Radiation in Quantum Theory” [original article no. 15 in References], reprinted in
CPAE
, vol. 6, doc. 34, p. 212.

186
We shall distinguish here
: Ibid., 214.

187
The simplicity of the hypotheses
: Ibid., 215–216.

187
A brilliant idea has dawned
: Einstein to Besso, 11 August 1916,
CPAE
, vol. 8, doc. 250, p. 243.

188
it can be demonstrated convincingly
: Einstein to Besso, 24 August 1916,
CPAE
, vol. 8, doc. 251, p. 244.

188
this derivation deserves attention
: Albert Einstein, “On the Quantum Theory of Radiation” [original article no. 16 in References], reprinted in
CPAE
, vol. 6, doc. 38, pp. 220–221.

188
The question arises: does the molecule
: Ibid., p. 221.

192
If we were to modify
: Ibid., p. 232.

192
[Einstein] himself, in his paper of [1917]
: Werner Heisenberg,
Encounters with Einstein: And Other Essays on People, Places, and Particles
. (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1989), 115.

192
the molecule suffers a recoil
: Einstein, “On the Quantum Theory of Radiation,” 232.

192
any such elementary process
: Einstein to Besso, 6 September 1916,
CPAE
, vol. 8, doc. 254, p. 246.

CHAPTER 22. CHAOTIC GHOSTS

Page

193
I have firmly decided
: Einstein to Elsa, 11 August 1913,
CPAE
, vol. 5, doc. 466, p. 348.

193
turnip winter
: Thomas Levenson,
Einstein in Berlin
(New York: Bantam Books, 2003), 142.

194
famous complaint
: Folsing,
Albert Einstein
, 406.

194
I am quite infirm
: Einstein to Paul Ehrenfest, 14 February 1917,
CPAE
, vol. 8, doc. 298, p. 295.

194
I have not been working much
: Einstein to Lorentz, 3 April 1917,
CPAE
, vol. 8, doc. 322, p. 313.

194
raise the necessary superstition
: Einstein to Besso, 8 May 1917,
CPAE
, vol. 8, doc. 335, p. 325.

194
I am committing myself
: Einstein to Besso, 13 May 1917,
CPAE
, vol. 8, doc. 339, p. 330.

194
I have come to know
: Einstein to Zangger, 10 March 1917,
CPAE
, vol. 8, doc. 309, p. 299.

194
My health is quite fair
: Einstein to Zangger, 6 December 1917,
CPAE
, vol. 8, doc. 404, p. 412.

195
Elsa indefatigably cooking
: Einstein to Besso, 28 June 1918,
CPAE
, vol. 8, doc. 572, p. 598.

196
The quantum paper I sent
: Einstein to Besso, 9 March 1917,
CPAE
, vol. 8, doc. 306, p. 292.

196
scientific life has dozed
: Einstein to Zangger, 10 March 1917,
CPAE
, vol. 8, doc. 310, p. 300.